The Mage
by simison
Summary: The Tower takes in all who have the talent. Thus, all 'gifted' will have a chance to master what the Maker has given them. But though all may learn, not all are equal within the Tower. And so, one apprentice undergoes the rite, known as the Harrowing.
1. Ch 1: Initiation

_**The Mage**_

**Ch. 1: Initiation**

simison: Yes, I have decided to begin this fanfic. Not my best decision since I still haven't finished my Resident Evil fanfic. But when inspiration hits you...

Yunska: I'd like to thank simison for his interest in Aellie and taking the steps to make sure she's as I had always seen her. Hope you all enjoy the mageling.

_Why does everything about this place have to remind me about my height?_

Aellie, a young, svelte elf, huffed as she climbed the last of the stairs. For the time being, her exercise of the day had come to an end. ..._until I have to climb back down._ She noted glumly. _Why does the Circle have to be in a tower, anyway? _ The annoying climb was pushed to the back of her mind as she surveyed the chamber with her bright blue eyes that were highlighted by a blue tattoo. This tattoo was painted on the right side of her face and made two curving, thick lines that ended beneath her right eye.

It was huge. The room was far bigger than any other room in the entire tower; its size only heightened her own awareness of how short she was. Light streamed in from stained-glass windows that occupied the wall even though it was nearing the end of the day. If that was not enough light, on every support pillar was a lantern. The floor was carved with geometric shapes and long, sloping angles. The young elf didn't have much time to admire the architecture. The templar that had guided her to the top of the tower was silently urging her onward to the small party ahead.

Four individuals stood near the center of the room, all of them focused on the apprentice mage. Three of them were templars, two of which had left their helmets elsewhere. Aellie recognized them as Knight-Commander Gregoir and templar Cullen. The commander of the templars wore a mask of calm duty. This would not be the first Harrowing he would witness nor would it be the last. The younger armored man was a different story. His gaze was much more focused than the others. He tried to look as detached as his superior, but even Aellie, who was still closer to the stairs, could see his ill-hidden nervousness. Aellie tried to ignore him. Normally, the templar's infatuation called forth an inward giggle from the young woman and, on her more adventurous days, she'd flirt with the shy man. But today was the biggest day of her life.

The presence of First Enchanter Irving guaranteed that much. Some apprentices would become tongue-tied in the presence of the most senior mage in all of the Ferelden Circle. But Aellie knew the old man well and was perfectly comfortable in his presence. A trait, the First Enchanter had once remarked, that made his duty as her senior both easier and harder at the same time. He was one of the few people that the young mage knew she could trust.

Her blue apprentice robes swayed as she meandered toward them. She knew this was important and it would behoove her to march straight toward them. But this was the first time she had ever seen the Harrowing Chamber. It may be her last chance to memorize the somber room. And even now, she had trouble refusing her curiosity's desire to absorb everything on this auspicious occasion.

She came to a stop before the party. Gregoir stepped forward. "Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him." Aellie immediately stopped the urge to zone out as the oft-familiar phrase flowed into her pointed ears. As she succeeded in looking serious, the senior templar continued the lesson, even as the elf woman wished that he would get on with it and tell her what exactly the Harrowing was. _Yes, Andraste beat the Tevinter. Yes, magic is gift and curse. Please tell me this won't end up as an hour lecture! _

"This is why the Harrowing exists." The First Enchanter's gravelled voice entered as Gregoir finished his short review. Suddenly, it was much easier for Aellie to be attuned to the conversation. "The ritual sends you into the Fade, and there you will face a demon, armed with only your will."

_Oh, is that all? _ She tried to shut down the nervousness that now tried to seep into her. Aloud, she declared, "I am ready."

"Know this, apprentice, if you fail, we templars will perform our duty. You will die," Gregoir somberly revealed to her.

Aellie took a deep breath. She, along with many other apprentices, had noticed that not all returned safely from the Harrowing. But to hear the warning repeated **and directed at her **added so much more weight. The elf summoned a mental image of her mentor, trying to fill herself with the same sense of quiet confidence and assurance that her mentor seemed to exude in every moment of her life.

Ignorant of Aellie's inward struggle, the Knight-Commander pointed to one of three black basins in the room. Each one was carved onto a long, thin pedestal, and was filled with glowing blue liquid. "This is lyrium, the very essence of magic, and your gateway to the Fade."

"The Harrowing is a secret out of necessity, child," the First Enchanter chimed in. "Every mage must go through this trial by fire. As we succeeded, so shall you. Keep your wits about you and remember the Fade is a realm of dreams. The spirits may rule it, but your own will is real."

"The apprentice must go through this test alone, First Enchanter," Gregoir interrupted. Aellie fought to not look cross at the templar leader. _Must he state the obvious?_ The armored elder gestured toward the lyrium. "You are ready."

The elf blinked, surprised to hear the templar make such a confident assurance of her abilities. Especially after the antagonism the two had built over the years. She turned her gaze from Gregoir to her new destination. Slowly, she approached the basin. Lyrium was always reserved only for passing mages and their superiors. Apprentices were expected to learn and master magic without this well-known aid. Aellie dipped her finger into it. There was an immediate reaction as the liquid's glow clung to the wet finger. She jerked back her hand and waited for a moment.

"You must drink it, child," Irving serenely reminded her.

"Yes, First Enchanter," she automatically replied. She stopped staring at her new shiny finger before reaching in with her whole hand. She cupped her hand and was able to bring a small drink up to lips. With one last hesitation, she drank. The liquid was cool; the taste bizarre. If power had a flavor, Aellie was sure that she tasted it at that moment. There was a flash...

...and Aellie knew that she no longer stood in the tower. The dark, orderly structure of the tower had been replaced by an unruly landscape that was composed of islands of dirt and rock adorned by misshapen statues. Random aspects of architecture sprung out of the ground like weeds. Stone tiles fought rocky ground for the floor of the island. Trees, or some equivalent of, twisted into strange loops and shapes. As always, it did not take long before her eyes spied the infamous Black City. She was in the Fade now.

Aellie took a breath, a reflex, before she took her first step on the path. She knew what she had to do, but she was still nervous, though not afraid. As she walked down, she caught a glimpse of her first opponent. A small ball of light lazily hovered ahead of her. Despite its bright appearance, she knew it was a wisp. And although it was akin to a pest within the Fade, it was a pest that had a stinging attack and a relentless, aggressive nature. She briefly wondered if she could sneak up to it. Despite the wisp being eyeless, she doubted she'd succeed.

Without further ado, she ran at it, until she was within range for her own spells. The wisp quickly took notice of the charging mage. Though it did not move one bit, a small glob of lightning shot out from it. Aellie constructed a mental image of a shield that wrapped around her body. The Wisp's attack connected and the elf winced though the blow was no worse than a bee's sting. But she quickly moved from defense to offense. She slowly raised her hands, pouring her own mental strength and will in the form of glowing energy. With a snap, she shoved her hands forward, the gathered energy coalescing into a bolt of arcane power. The wisp, weak as it was, could not defend itself and evaporated as Aellie's attack struck.

With a small smile on her lips, Aellie lowered her arms and continued onward. Two more wisps tried to block her path. Another two arcane bolts swept them away. Just as the young woman began to wonder when the real test would begin, she spied a large, brown rat in her path. As she approached to inspect it closely, it spoke in a masculine, dreary voice. "Someone else thrown to the wolves. As fresh and unprepared as ever." It declared angrily, "it isn't right that they do this, the templars. Not to you, me, anyone."

Aellie, who was more than used to the strangeness that accompanied trips to the Fade, ignored the fact that a rat was talking to her. What made her more curious was the fact that it was referring to the Harrowing. "No, it isn't right at all," the blue-tattooed elf agreed.

"But they keep doing it, don't they? We get treated like rabid dogs, and we let them get away with it!" The rat let out a heavy sigh. "It's always the same. But it's not your fault. You're in the same boat I was, aren't you?" The small furry creature suddenly shined as brightly as a star. And as Aellie watched, it grew bigger until it was taller than she was. Not only that, but it went from the form of the rat to the form of a human being. The shine vanished as it finished. Before her stood a young, dark blonde-haired man wearing red and gray robes. He threw his arms open as he continued, "Allow me to welcome you to the Fade. You can call me...well, Mouse."

Several questions stormed the apprentice's mind. She decided to go with the one that most concerned her. "You took the Harrowing?"

Mouse massaged his temples as he answered weakly. "It's fuzzy, that time before. They wake you up in the middle of the night and drag you to the Harrowing Chamber," Aellie found herself nodding in agreement, her own memories agreeing with Mouse's tale, "and then the templars kill you if you take too long, you see. They figure you failed, and they don't want something getting out. That's what they did to me, I think."

Aellie tried to calculate how long she had while Mouse finished his piece. Time didn't seem to rule as strictly as it did in the real world. Had she been in here for a few minutes, an hour, or longer? "How long do I have exactly?" Mouse's answer was unhelpfully vague. She moved onto her next question. "What am I supposed to do?"

"There's something here," Mouse began darkly, throwing a suspicious glance over his shoulder for good measure. "Contained, just for an apprentice like you. You have to face the creature, a demon, and resist it, if you can. That's your way out. Or your opponent's, if the templars wouldn't kill you. A test for you, a tease for the creatures of the Fade."

_...That's it? _ Aellie frowned. "Anything can die. I doubt it's as simple as that."

Mouse agreed with her assessment, warning her of the dangerous opponent she was against and how other, nearby spirits may be able to help her. "I'll follow, if that is alright. My chance was long ago, but you...you may have a way out." And before the apprentice could say yay or nay, Mouse reverted to his tinier form.

_A way out, hm? _She didn't like the sound of that. She had never heard of a soul being able to survive without its body for any length of time, Fade or not. Of course, she was still young and still learning, so it could be possible. There were always the rumors of how much more powerful Tevinter mages were because of their willingness to indulge into blood magic. _I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let him follow me._

"A dangerous spirit is not far. Don't go near it unless you're ready to fight," Mouse interrupted as he stared at her with those black dots that were his eyes.

Aellie focused on the path. "I'll be careful." She walked, hearing Mouse's infrequent squeak along the way. The small valley where she ran into Mouse opened up as it smoothed from hilly to plain. Off to her right there was a circular area that was distinguished by the ring of fire that almost surrounded it, save where the ground melded into the path. Mouse quickly warned her that this is where the test would actually take place. A part of her wanted to walk in and finish the test now. But she remembered Mouse's advice of friendly spirits and decided to continue onward. She would have to come back sooner or later. It would be better if she could come back prepared.

Another wisp tried to bar her way, which she dispatched quickly. Right after that, she noticed a glowing figure who wore, of all things, a templar's set of armor along with a sword and shield on his back. _Do good spirits ever show their faces? _Aellie wondered as she moved to greet him. The spirit stood next to a flaming anvil and several racks of weapons.

"Another spirit this way. It never seemed to equal its name, to me," Mouse declared gloomily.

She shot the depressed rat a frown before she smiled at the spirit. But before she could form a greeting, the spirit said, "Another mortal thrown into the flames and left to burn, I see. Your mages have devised a cowardly test," he continued with contempt, "Better you were pitted against each other to prove your mettle with skill, than to be sent unarmed against a demon."

"Fight each other?" Aellie repeated, surprised by the spirit's preference. "We're not warriors."

"They would have you battle a demon." The masculine spirit countered. "With magic or weapon, to be the victor makes you a warrior still. That you remain means you have not yet defeated your hunter. I wish you a glorious battle to come," he encouraged with, what Aellie suspected, a small degree of jealously in his voice.

But Aellie wasn't ready to leave yet, especially with her curiosity unsated. "What kind of spirit are you?"

"I am Valor," the spirit declared proudly. "A warrior spirit. I hone my weapons in search of the perfect expression of combat."

"Fascinating," Aellie said sincerely. "What else do you know about the Harrowing?" To the elf's disappointment, Valor knew almost nothing. Her eyes shifted over to the rack of staves that Valor had made. _I wasn't allowed to bring my own staff. But Irving never said I can't get one while in the Fade. _She smiled broadly at Valor and asked, "Did you create all of those weapons?" Valor proudly answered affirmatively, while expressing his surprise and pity that he felt for non-mage mortals who couldn't will things into reality. Silently, Aellie couldn't agree more. Despite the templars and the Tower, she loved her magical gifts and wouldn't trade them for the world. They were a precious gift, no matter what anyone else said. But, she still could use a staff. She fixed a look of awe on Valor as she asked if any of the weapons would affect a demon.

"Without a doubt," Valor replied with complete certainty, subtly enjoying the mortal's attention. Aellie had to stand through a very brief lecture of how he could create the weapons by merely expressing his will and thought. But it paid off as he questioned, "Do you truly desire one of my weapons? I will give you one of my weapons..." Aellie's spirits rose. "If you agree to duel me first." And her spirits quickly plummeted. "Valor shall test your mettle as it should be tested."

The apprentice tried to keep the vexation out of her countenance. "And what are the rules of the duel?"

"If I believe you capable of slaying the demon, I will stop the duel and give you the staff. If I find you unworthy, I will slay you," he said bluntly. He finished with a small tone of condescension. "I trust those rules are simple enough to remember, mortal?"

Her vexation boiled over into anger. And before she could keep her mouth shut, she blurted testily, "It seems to me you would prefer to kill me yourself."

Valor immediately took offense at that. "How dare you accuse me! I am no demon, preying upon helpless mortals to steal their essence! I am a being of honor and valor! I am a warrior!"

Aellie tried to rein in her anger, but the spirit's pride merely irked her again. "So, you challenge helpless mortals to duels?"

"You are insolent." Aellie lost all hope of winning a staff now. "...but your will is unquestionably strong."

_...huh?_ Was the mage's only thought.

"Very well, mortal," Valor said amicably. "You proved to me that you possess the strength to resist this demon." The spirit summoned one of the staves to his hand and offered it to the apprentice mage. "Go, prove your worth as you must. I am confident you will succeed."

A surprised Aellie took the staff in both hands. She quickly bowed her head to the spirit. "I thank you kindly for your aid, Valor."


	2. Ch 2: Demons

**Ch. 2: Demons**

Simison: Here's another chapter.

Yunska: If you don't put some enthusiasm into it I'll beat you with a wet noodle. For the rest of you enjoy the chapter. Or you'll suffer the same fate.

Simison: Here's another chapter! Yay!

* * *

><p>In some back corner of her mind, Aellie Surana knew that it wasn't a real poultice that she placed over her new bite mark. Or that she hadn't <strong>really <strong>been bitten. But she didn't care. The pain was real, even if it was purely spiritual. And the relief that she now felt was just as real too. She had to resist the strong urge to glare at Valor again. Only a few moments after leaving his presence, the opportunity to test out the staff came with the baying of spirit wolves.

With a staff in her hand again, she felt her confidence and power doubled. The wolves had materialized a distance away from her, giving her plenty of time to blast them into nothingness. Not one of them could reach her. Or so had she thought. The majority of them came from the front. One snuck up behind her. She realized her mistake as the predator chomped on her leg. A squeal of pain escaped her lips. The wolf was unable to enjoy its victory for long. A magical bolt threw it off. And as it tried to recover, a river of flame engulfed it, denying it another moment of existence.

Though she did not glare at Valor for not coming to her aid, she felt perfectly free to glare at Mouse. The transfigured man sat next to her, watching and waiting. Easily reading her anger, Mouse merely said, "I would be of no help to you. I am too weak and powerless. All I can offer is what knowledge I have gleaned from my stay."

"You could have at least warned me of the last one," She snapped back.

"Then it would have eaten me," He countered. "I have to stay hidden, or I will end up dead. And that will be of no help to me or to you."

_I wonder about that..._ The thought echoed in the elf's mind as she continued up the path, past the rugged and disjointed landscape. She did not have to go far before she met another denizen of the Fade.

"Be cautious," Mouse warned. "There is another spirit here. He is not the one hunting you, but still..."

Aellie would have rolled her eyes, if it weren't for the fact that she just saw the spirit Mouse referred to. It was a large bear, covered in prickly, protruding bones. And where bone did not jut out of its 'skin', muscle sat naked without any protection. A small part of Aellie was glad that this was not to be her opponent. But did that mean that the one hunting her was more ferocious than this one?

As she approached the spirit stirred, raising only his head off the ground. In a low, but relaxed voice, it said, "Hmmm...so you are the mortal being hunted? And the small one... is he to be a snack for me?"

Almost instantly, Mouse assumed his human form. "I don't like this. He's not going to help us. We should go," He suggested nervously.

The demonic bear sniffed and laid his head back down, apparently already bored of them. "No matter. The demon will get you eventually and perhaps there will even be scraps left for me."

"What do you know about this demon?" Aellie inquired loudly to grab its attention.

The demon laughed at her bravado. "I know that you will fail your test and he will eat you." The demon yawned. "Begone. Surely you have better things to do than bother Sloth, mortal. I tire of you already."

A look of relief spread over Mouse's face. That promptly died as Aellie commanded, "I need help defeating the demon."

The Sloth demon was unimpressed. "You have a very nice staff," He pointed out with another yawn. "Why would you need me? Go, use your weapon since you have earned it. Be valorous," He joked, chuckling at his own humor.

The elf frowned, annoyed by the lack of progress. Then again, she had been warned more than once about asking help from a demon. Not to mention the staff was probably more than enough to help her triumph over her opponent.

She was about to change her mind about the whole thing when, Mouse, of all beings, chimed, "He looks powerful. It might be possible that he could... teach you to be like him."

Sloth was amused by this suggestion. But he (or was 'it' a better word, Aellie pondered) quickly rejected the idea. He pointed out that the elf would never have the time to learn to change. And Aellie herself wasn't too keen on adopting a non-human form. But Sloth went on to say that Mouse had the chance, citing the fact that the former apprentice had given up his human form many years ago. Idly, Aellie wondered how many years ago.

Mouse was much more reluctant to involve himself. "I...don't think I'd make a very good bear. How would I hide?"

Aellie, who was incredibly eager to find some use for her new companion, quickly encouraged him, "You could help me fight the demon."

"It's true. I am quite powerful in this form...when I wish to be," Sloth added, strangely positive, as he stood up for the first time in the conversation.

To her happy surprise, Mouse declared, "I... welcome the opportunity, if it is to be my choice. The mages in the tower are quick to volunteer others, as you well know. I'll try. I'll try to be a bear. If you will teach me."

Aellie ignored the quip against the Tower as she looked expectantly at Sloth.

The demon's rebuttal immediately tarnished her small victory. "That's nice. But teaching is so exhausting. Away with you now," He ordered as he laid back down.

Mouse sighed, as though he knew this would happen all along. "I told you he wasn't going to help us."

The mage apprentice had other ideas, especially after all the trouble she just went through. "Mouse wants to learn. Teach him," She declared bluntly.

The Sloth demon relented, partially. "You want to learn my form, little one? Then I have a challenge for your friend: Answer three riddles correctly, and I will teach you. Fail and I will devour you both. The decision is yours," He finished lazily.

The elf crossed her arms defiantly. "I accept your challenge, Sloth."

"Truly?" The Sloth demon replied, sounding interested for the first time. "This gets more and more promising. My first riddle is this: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people, mountains without land. What am I?"

Aellie knew the answer before the demon finished reciting. She had stared at so many of them, wondering what the real locations were like and if she'd ever be able to see them for herself. "A map."

Sloth let out an annoyed 'hmph'. "Correct. Let's move on. The second riddle: I'm rarely touched, but often held. If you have wit, you'll use me well. What am I?

She paused as she re-visited the words in her mind. After a moment of contemplation, she answered, "My tongue?"

Sloth did not hide his frustration. "Yes, your witty tongue. Fair enough. One more try, shall we? Often I will spin a tale, never will I charge a fee. I'll amuse you an entire eve, but, alas, you won't remember me. What am I?"

For the first time since they had talked, uncertainty crossed Aellie's mind. She repeated the words to herself, but unlike the last one, the answer did not immediately leap to her mind. She thought that music might be the answer. But it didn't feel like the right one. After all, who had time to listen to music all night? She could feel the stare of both Mouse and Sloth on her and was aggravated by it. She almost threw out 'an annoying riddler', but that wouldn't help anything. She looked around. The answer was on the tip of her tongue. She stared at the rest of the Fade, almost willing the answer to teleport to her.

"...well, human?"

She frowned, thought harder. If only she were in her world, and not...

With an overly-dramatic groan, she finally revealed the answer. "A dream."

Sloth sighed in surrender. "You are correct. Rather apropos here in the Fade, no? But you've won my challenge and proven yourself as an amusing distraction. So, I shall teach you my form. Now listen carefully..." He began as he stood up.

Since this was Mouse's lesson, Aellie was relegated to adding encouragements and cheer to make sure he followed through. Thankfully, it did not take long before Mouse was able to change his form again, focusing on changing his will and spirit to match that of a bear's. There was another flash of light and there he stood looking like a large, black bear. (Which caused no complaint on Aellie's behalf. She was tired of looking at Sloth's porcupine version.) Mouse commented how heavy the form was, but she didn't care. Mouse was finally going to be of some help to her. Sloth, his lesson given and received, went back to his 'nap' and bid them both to go away. Which both of them were more than happy to do.

As they walked past Valor again, another ambush of spirit wolves set upon them. Unlike the first pack, this one attacked all at once, and was larger. Aellie didn't doubt her skill. She doubted the 'bear' next to her. Her doubt seemed to be well placed. As she jabbed Valor's staff forward, a bolt of magic that drove one wolf into nothingness, she heard Mouse turn and charge in the opposite direction.

Her fingers drummed the staff, one after the other in a wave. If all the wolves were in front of her, she could simply unleash the flame upon them all at the same time. But since two of them were behind her...

Her planning was interrupted when she heard the deep roar behind her. She took a glimpse, and was heartened to see Mouse attacking the other two wolves. His movements were sluggish, but she was glad all the same. With a confident grin, she turned to her front. The wolves were almost upon her. With a single word, an inferno blasted from the point of the staff. The spirit wolves stopped dead, howling in agony as Aellie's magical power burned through their pitiful protection.

Her opponents dissipated, Surana whirled around. Mouse had proven one thing: that he wasn't a good bear. So used to his much smaller and nimble form, that as a Bear, his mind moved much faster than his body could. The results were incredibly obvious swings and bites that the wolves easily avoided. So far, Aellie counted at least two scratches on her ally from her limited line of sight. In fact, if she didn't know better, it almost seemed as if the wolves were toying with Mouse.

This was not to continue. As one wolf circled to attack at Mouse's haunches, it had a moment to yelp in surprise as an arcane arrow pierced its side. The last wolf snarled at them when it realized it was alone. Mouse roared and leapt at it.

_How odd,_ Aellie thought to herself as she watched Mouse actually haul his form into the air. The wolf probably agreed with the mage because it forgot to run. The hostile spirit was crushed beneath the bear's girth. Mouse panted as he lifted his new body off the ground. "So...heavy."

"Let me help with that," Aellie offered. She slowly waved the staff over her companion, quietly chanting to herself. As always, she felt her energy leave with her breath, and was rewarded as Mouse's injuries closed themselves before her eyes. "How's that?"

"Much better," Mouse answered thankfully as he regained his breath.

"Good," She said, keeping the guilt out of her voice. "Well, let's continue. We have a demon to defeat."

"And freeing myself from this place?" Mouse asked hopefully.

"...we'll see," Surana answered neutrally. A small pang of guilt crossed her mind. But she still wasn't sure of him. She'd never heard of any mage surviving in the Fade without their body. It should be impossible...right?

Her inner deliberations came to an end as they approached the location of the final battle. To her annoyance (and small relief), the demon was nowhere to be found. With Mouse by her side, she walked into the near-circle of fire, which provided the boundary of the impromptu arena. She took two steps before a being of glowing, liquid fire seeped up from the ground and formed two arms out of a hunched, thick, and serpentine-like figure. There were no legs, but it stood upright and slithered along the ground.

"And there is a spirit of rage," Mouse declared darkly.

Aellie frowned. Rage demons were notoriously aggressive. But they were considered a class lower than the Sloth demons. This couldn't possibly be her hunter, she concluded as she advanced on it.

The Rage demon was pleased to see her, speaking in a low voice that somehow echoed itself, as though she was hearing two voices, one after the other. "And so it comes to me at last," It declared triumphantly. "Soon I shall see the land of the living with your eyes, creature. You shall be mine, body and soul."

Though she could not use her fire spell to harm it, Surana stood unafraid. "It's two against one. You really want to fight us both?"

"Amusing," It laughed. "Have you not told it of our...arrangement, Mouse?"

_Small enough to hide indeed!_ Aellie angrily thought to herself. _And I've encouraged him to be stronger!_ She realized as she turned to him, her face carefully empty of emotion.

Mouse immediately assumed his human form. "We don't have an arrangement! Not anymore!" He countered, adding a sweep of his hand for emphasis. The Rage demon did not seem all that concerned by his ally's betrayal as it reminded Mouse of shared meals and prior plans.

"I'm not a mouse now!" Mouse announced vehemently. "And soon I won't have to hide! I don't need to bargain with you!"

"We shall see," The Rage demon muttered.

Surana wasn't sure what to think. She was glad that she would not have to face two opponents now._ But what on earth did the demon mean about meals?_ Her questions were forced to the back of her mind as the Rage demon summoned a small horde of wisps to aid him. "I'll take care of them," She declared, leaving Mouse to fight the demon. She wasn't being mean. She simply doubted that he, as a Bear, could actually hit those things, the situation made worse by virtue of the wisps floating at the edge of the arena on all sides. Plus, in theory, her magical strength would provide better protection against the Wisp's attacks. Her theory was put to the test as they all fired at the same time. Of course, the Wisp she targeted vanished as her spell collided with it. But she didn't have time to appreciate it as the other three attacks zapped her. Her magical protection was enough to prevent actual harm. But the pain caused her to cry out. With an angry gesture, another Wisp was slammed by another bolt.

Mouse was faring much more poorly. His target, while not airborne like the Wisps, slithered in and out of his claws. Rage wasn't quick enough to get a blow in. However, if he did, Mouse would have to deal with both the actual attack and flames that might start on his fur. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only issue Mouse was dealing with. The fire had yet to touch him, but the heat was rolling over his brown fur. Already unused to this bulky form, Mouse was panting from the heat, his energy dwindling quickly. He roared at Rage, who merely laughed at him.

Aellie hissed as she dealt with another lightning ball volley. Another blob of energy shot out from the end of the staff. Before she turned to deal with the last one, she heard Mouse yelp. She turned toward him. Rage's fire finally had done its work. Mouse was backing away, his shoulder now home to a small flame. "Hold on!" She yelled as she began waving her staff over him.

Rage advanced on them, confident of its near victory. Another bit of lightning stung Aellie. She winced before she fired at Rage. The fire demon roared as his face suffered from her accurate attacks. Using the precious few seconds she had, she chanted a healing spell over Mouse. In moments, the fire was gone and Mouse's shoulder was perfectly normal. He lumbered at Rage, while Surana whirled around and ended the last Wisp.

Rage looked up in time to see a claw swipe at his form. The demon grunted as he was hit, sending him into retreat. "You dare!" He began. He didn't finish as another one of Aellie's bolts blasted through his abdomen. The Rage demon roared as he collapsed to the ground. Then, to the elf's surprise, he seemed to slip through an invisible hole in the floor, vanishing from their sight.

Aellie took a breath as the pain wore off. But then she frowned. _That can't be it. Even without a staff or Mouse, I still would've won against him._

"You did it! You actually did it!" Mouse shouted triumphantly as he entered his human form. "When you came, I hoped that maybe you might be able to...but I really never thought any of you were worthy."

Her frown grew as she heard that. "Sounds like your help was unusual. Why?" She demanded.

"You made me believe in you," He answered encouragingly. "You're a true mage, one of the few. The others, they never had a chance. The templars set them up to fail, like they tried with you. I regret my part in it, but you have shown me there is hope. You can be so much more than you know."

His praise did little to help Aellie's mood. "So, what is it that you think you can get from me?"

She had to endure another round of accolades before he finally got to the point. "And maybe there's hope in that for someone as small and... forgotten as me. If you want to help," He began conspiratorially. "There may be a way for me to leave here, to get a foothold outside. You just need to want to let me in."

Aellie's eyes narrowed on him, her suspicions growing. "Let you in?"

Mouse's patience wore thin. "Back! Let me back. They killed me, right? Just like all who fail in here. They'll kill you, too," He predicted darkly. "Can't you feel the sword at your neck? They believe all magic evil, the Fade evil. Once you are here, you become what you fear."

The mage had had enough. "Like you. Were you ever really an apprentice?"

Mouse was shocked by her answer and quickly declared that he was, or that he thought he was. After a moment of babbling, he leaned his head down and rubbed his eyes. When he looked up, there was nothing but cold calculation behind them. "Maybe they were right about you," He said in a demonically-deep voice. "Simple killing is a warrior's job. The real dangers of the Fade are preconceptions, careless trust..." Mouse spread his arms, light engulfing his form. But unlike all of the other two times, he did not become smaller or bulkier. His form grew to gigantic proportions, making Aellie feel smaller than she had ever before. "...pride."

Fear coursed through her veins. Her studies had taught her a simple truth about Pride demons. They were the worst of all. "Keep your wits about you, mage. True tests never end. " There was another flash and he was gone, leaving a shivering Aellie behind. She took a step back...and felt the world around her fade.


	3. Ch 3: The Circle

**Ch. 3: The Circle**

**Simison: **New chapter!

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?"<p>

Aellie stirred uneasily. Her eyes slowly blinked open. Fear clung to her. _Where is he? Where's Mouse?_ She thought, her fear pushing her to make sure she knew where her hunter was.

"Say something, please."

She looked toward the voice and was nearly overwhelmed by the relief that flowed through her. "Jowan?"

A tall man with black hair, light brown eyes, and a short, scraggly beard peered at her in matching relief. "I'm glad that you're all right. They carried you in this morning. I didn't even realize that you had been gone all night."

Aellie, who was slowly getting up from the blue-covered bed, paused out of surprise. _It didn't feel like a whole night. It was almost like a dream...or a nightmare_. She thought as she remembered Pride. She pushed the thought away as she got out of bed. She now saw that she was back in the crowded apprentice dormitory. A sea of bunk beds and chests occupied space all around the room. Routes in and around the beds were marked by red carpeting. Wooden desks lined against the wall, pointing toward it. One quarter of the room was reserved for tables, one of which was occupied by a chess set. The far quarter of the room was cordoned off by two walls that didn't reach the ceiling or meet each other. Behind them were the bathing tubs and the chamber pots. Vanities sat there to the right across from the chamber pots, which was something that always bugged her about the apprentice dormitories.

Jowan continued, oblivious to her reaction. "I've heard about apprentices who have never come back from their Harrowings. Is it really that dangerous? What was it like?"

"It was...harrowing," She answered with a small smile, happy to be talking with her best friend.

Jowan was not amused. "Is that why they don't tell us what it's about? I know that I'm not supposed to know...but we're friends," He reminded her hopefully. " Just a little hint, and I'll stop asking, I promise."

His heart-felt plea softened Aellie. They hadn't been friends. They had been _best_ friends, for a long, _long_ time. "I had to enter the Fade," She relinquished.

"Really? That's it?" Jowan pressed.

She shot him a mixed look of annoyance and pity. "You said one little hint."

He sighed, "I know, I know. It's just that now you get to move to the mages' quarters upstairs. I hope I get there someday."

"Don't worry so much about it," She chided him lightly.

"Easy for you to say," He countered forlornly. "I've been here longer than you have... sometimes I just don't think they want to test me.

"Maybe you're just not ready yet," The elf offered encouragingly.

"I've been ready for a long time," He insisted. "I'm afraid they don't want me to take the test. You do the Harrowing, the Rite of Tranquility...or you die. That's what happens."

"They're not going to kill you, Jowan," Aellie persisted, slowly becoming annoyed by his pessimistic attitude.

"They might not," He finally relented. "But the Rite of Tranquility is just as bad...maybe worse. You've seen Tranquil around the tower. Like Owain, who runs the stockroom. He's so cold. No, not even cold. There's just... nothing in him. It's like he's dead, but still walking. His voice, his eyes are lifeless..."

The elf shuddered in agreement. She found the Tranquil to be terrifying in a quiet sort of way. "I think you're reading too much in it," She offered hopefully.

"I shouldn't waste your time like this," Jowan abruptly declared. "I was supposed to tell you to see Irving as soon as you woke up."

Aellie reluctantly allowed duty to come before her concern for her best friend. "What for?"

"He didn't tell me. About the Harrowing, I guess, but you never know with Irving. You'd better not keep him waiting. We can speak later." And with that, Jowan left.

Aellie watched him walk off before setting off for Irving. She heard two gossiping apprentices as she walked through the door. Among the chatter, she heard, "quickest, cleanest Harrowing". She smiled at that.

The hallway was spacious, had a high-ceiling, and rounded the tower in the shape of a regular dodecagon. At every angle, a stone statue of a warrior holding a spear stood guard. To her left were two large wooden doors. She had often stared at the doors. Beyond the doors was the entrance to the Tower. Beyond that was the outside world. Today, Aellie forced herself to ignore the doors as she turned right. She walked deeper into the Tower. She passed another dormitory and overheard another conversation. This one was much more disturbing consisting of rumors about blood magic. She shrugged it off. In the end, Aellie did not care too much for it. She understood their worries, but blood magic was simply another form of magic. Whoever was doing it should be more careful.

The hallway ended in a doorway to an enormous room. Paintings of circles and smooth lines were on the high ceiling. One part of the room was cordoned off by a low wall with triangle-openings fitted with iron vines and leaves that prevented entry. She never understood the point because there was nothing within the blocked off area. In the center of the outside wall was a small stairway leading into the basement.

She continued on, going through another hallway, until she finally entered the library. Despite the overwhelming amount of books and wooden tables, an apprentice and an enchanter were practicing. The apprentice was trying to master a fire spell. Not wanting to disturb the lesson, she paused in the doorway and watched.

The apprentice stood before a small camp fire sitting on the stone floor, while his enchanter, a mage in gold and blue robes, stood a few feet away. The apprentice was waving his arms above his head, a common physical technique to help mages concentrate and control magic.

"...you must control the fire," The enchanter explained in a calm, aloof voice. "Keep the flame steady. We don't want it sputtering and leaping about - that's what causes most of the injuries."

The apprentice seemed to only hear one word. "I-injuries? B-b-but..." He dropped his arms and started to shudder. The fire began to grow, spreading beyond the wood that was its foundation.

"Steady!" The enchanter ordered, a hint of alarm in his voice. "It reacts to your emotions. If you panic, it will - no, no! Breathe!"

The apprentice did not heed the advice and was rewarded when the flames spread over his body. He let out a shrill scream. In a flash of freezing cold, the flames were gone before they could singe the apprentice's hair.

The enchanter sighed before saying, very dryily, "You know, in my experience, flint and tender works just as well... maybe we should start with that?"

Aellie giggled to herself. Trying to not be too conspicuous about it, she held out her hand. A small ball of fire coalesced above her palm. Fire was her element. It came to her as easily as healing did. Her mastery of it was what separated her from the other apprentices. Granted, she had only mastered the basics, but she'd done it faster than any other apprentice she knew. She quickly extinguished the flame before she continued onward. She passed around the table standing between her and the two mages. To fit all the bookcases into the room, two 'walls' of bookshelves that didn't completely cross the room nearly divided the room into thirds. As she passed through the first chokepoint, she could see the second third of the room.

A walkway of red carpet rolled down the middle of the section. Two rows of desks lined on both sides of the carpet. At the end of the carpet and in front of the enchanter's own desk was another enchanter with three children in front of her. Aellie paused for a moment, reminiscing over her early lessons as a child. The moment passed and she left the four of them to the lesson.

The last section mirrored the second, but instead of children she found another teenager apprentice practicing with his enchanter.

"Concentrate! Hold the shield!" The enchanter commanded as he readied his staff.

The apprentice whimpered as he conjured a glowing blue bubble around himself. The enchanter stabbed forward and a fireball flew from the staff. It crashed into the shield and exploded. Thankfully, it didn't pierce the shield or touch the books.

The enchanter was not pleased. "Pathetic! If I had put all my power behind that spell, you would have been obliterated. I am not your enemy. Fear is your enemy. It is a weakness that can be exploited. Should you face a demon with your will wavering so, it would consume you. Is that what you want?"

"N-no," The apprentice muttered nervously.

"Then stand firm and know you can resist whatever I throw at you. Again!"

Her mind drifted back toward Pride. All her life in the Circle, she had been taught again and again that demons were not to be trifled with. It had come to the point where Aellie had trouble taking them seriously. Out of her countless dreams, only a few times had a demon approached her. Their visits, while unwanted, were more annoying than threatening. Until Pride, she suspected the threat of demons was a little exaggerated. As she turned from the training session, she knew she wouldn't make that assumption again.

Through the next door, Surana could see the stairway to the next level. She walked through a small circular room which was also surrounded by bookshelves and more studying apprentices. In the center of the room, sitting on a raised circle that featured a drawing of the Sun were a few book stands. Aellie would have preferred they placed chairs instead.

As she stepped through the door onto the second floor, she caught sight of something disturbing: Owain. She immediately turned to her right, and walked through the open doorway. She was happy to be out of the Tranquil's sight (and out of that huge central chamber. Why did everything have to be so big?) She stopped as soon as she was through the doorway. And that brought her second complaint about the Tower to her mind. Why did so much of the architecture have to repeat itself? She had been up here before, but she was a little turned around now.

She shrugged and went to the right. Past two doorways, she found a familiar sight. Cullen was standing in the middle of the doorway, looking a little bored. Aellie smiled inwardly as she advanced on the templar.

Cullen quickly caught sight of her. Then he pretended to have not seen her by looking the other way. When Aellie stopped right in front of him, he had no choice but to address her. "Oh, u-um, h-hello. I... uh, am glad to see your Harrowing went smoothly," He greeted nervously, looking suspiciously a little red in the cheeks.

"Hello, Cullen," Aellie greeted with a friendly smile.

"Th-They picked me as the templar to strike the killing blow if...if you became an abomination," The golden-haired templar awkwardly confessed. He suddenly realized what was he saying as he quickly added, "I-it's nothing personal; I swear!" He winced at how much passion he threw into it. "I...uh, I'm just glad that you're all right. You know."

Aellie was working very hard not to giggle at the hapless templar. "Would you have really struck me down?" She asked in her sweetest voice.

"I would have felt terrible about it..." He answered honestly, a look of sadness on his face. He quickly shook it off, straighten up, tried to sound official. "But...but I serve the chantry and the Maker, and I will do as I am commanded."

Aellie slowly nodded and languidly glanced down the hall. "Maybe we could go elsewhere and... continue our discussion?" She asked with a sideways look at Cullen and a warm, mischievous smile.

The templar looked like he was going to break out in a sweat. "Elsewhere? What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Aellie promptly replied, her smile suddenly more innocent. "I misspoke."

The templar was unable to stop a look of disappointment crossing his features. "Uh...uh yes," He mumbled back. "Maybe we can talk another time?" He inquired hopefully.

"I'd like that," Aellie answered cheerfully before giving Cullen a small wave. "Until next time, then."

"Yes, uh, until next time," He said slowly, his cheeks a little red.

The elf grinned at him and took two steps forward before remembering something. "Oh, can you point me the way to the First Enchanter?"

"Of course!" Cullen said, wincing at how eager he just sounded. He pointed in the direction that Surana just came from. "If you go that way, you can't miss it."

"Thanks, Cullen," Aellie said before she leaned up to give him a quick hug. The templar froze, caught off-guard. He didn't have much time to react as she stepped back and almost raced down the hallway, hiding her giggles with the sound of footsteps.

She eventually slowed down as she passed the first bunch of doors. Her memory finally kicked in as she saw the First Enchanter's door. She stopped just outside and took a moment to straighten herself. She knocked on the door before letting herself in. "First Enchanter?"

The First Enchanter looked her way, but Aellie quickly noticed that he was not alone. Standing next to the aged mage was Knight-Commander Greagoir. But there was a third man with the other two. He was a well-armed and armored dark-skinned man. His black hair was tied into a ponytail, while it also covered his face in a large beard and mustache.

The First Enchanter silently bid her to enter.

The elven mage nodded and closed the door behind her.


	4. Ch 4: The Warden

**Ch. 4: The Warden**

Aellie took a few steps in before deeming it prudent to stop. Although she was intrigued the most by the dark-skinned man, Greagoir and Irving were in the middle of another argument. Why Irving went out of his way to make sure she heard yet another one of them was beyond her.

"...many have already gone to Ostagar - Wynne, Uldred, and most of the senior mages!" Greagoir almost shouted, the old man speaking with his usual passion when it came to mage matters. Aellie felt a twitch of a frown as he mentioned Wynne. She missed her mentor. "We've committed enough of our own to the war effort."

"Your own?" Irving taunted, the old mage frowning at the senior templar. "Since when have you felt such kinship with the mages, Greagoir? Or are you afraid to let the mages out of Chantry supervision, where they can actually use their Maker-given powers?"

"Gentlemen, please," The stranger requested. "Irving, someone is here to see you." He declared gesturing toward Aellie.

Aellie stepped forward, hiding her earlier childish behavior behind a poised walk and a calm mask. "You sent for me?" She inquired her voice controlled and fluid.

"Ah, if it isn't our new sister in the Circle," Irving declared proudly. "Come, child."

She nodded to him, finishing the tiny journey up to the three men. "This is...?" The stranger asked expectantly, looking between her and Irving.

"Yes, this is she," Irving affirmed.

"Well, Irving, you're obviously busy." Greagoir interrupted as he nodded to Aellie, which she politely returned. "We will discuss this later." The knight-commander marched out of the room.

"Of course," Irving replied drily. He soon turned from Greagoir to Aellie. "Well then, where was I... oh yes. This is Duncan of the Grey Wardens." He introduced.

The elf fought hard to remain completely composed. With great difficulty, she suppressed the grin that wanted to sprout out on her face. "Pleased to meet you." She offered a respectful nod to Duncan.

"You've heard of the war brewing to the south, I expect?" Irving asked rhetorically. "Duncan is recruiting mages to join the king's army at Ostagar."

Aellie had heard of it. But like so many rumors that floated in from the outside world, details were scarce. "Who are we fighting?"

Duncan answered this time. "The darkspawn threat grows in the south. We need all the help we can get."

A brief image came to Aellie's mind: of fighting in that battle, free of the tower. She quickly suppressed it. She would probably never escape the Tower as long as she lived. "What are the darkspawn?" She asked, focusing on her curiosity.

"They are twisted monsters that dwell underground where the sun's light cannot touch them," Duncan explained, a hint of disdain in his voice. "They have formed into a horde in the Korcari Wilds. They threaten to invade north into the valley. I fear if we don't drive them back, we may see another Blight."

"Duncan, you worry the poor girl with talk of Blights and darkspawn," The First Enchanter gently protested. "This is a happy day for her.

"We live in troubled times, my friend," Duncan reminded him.

"We should seize these moments of levity, **especially** in troubled times," Irving countered. He faced Aellie again. "The Harrowing is behind you. Your phylactery has been sent to Denerim. You are officially a mage within the Circle of Magi."

Aellie smiled a small, dignified one. "Thank you, First Enchanter."

"I'm sorry," Duncan interceded. "What is this phylactery?"

"Blood is taken from all apprentices when they first come to the tower and is preserved in special vials," Irving expounded with a faint frown.

"So they can be hunted if they turn apostate," Duncan surmised.

"We have few choices," Irving replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "The gift of magic is looked upon with suspicion and fear. We must prove we are strong enough to handle our power responsibly." He glanced at Aellie before walking over to his desk. "You have done this." He returned while holding a few items. Aellie's smile grew. "I present you with your robes, your staff, and your signet ring bearing the Circle's insignia. Wear them proudly, you have earned them."

"Thank you," She replied, excitement in her voice.

"It goes without saying that you shall not discuss the Harrowing with those who have not undergone the rite." Aellie absentmindedly nodded as she studied her new ring. "Now then... take your time to rest, or study in the library. The day is yours."

While Aellie was all for a day of relaxation, she couldn't help but glance at Duncan. Visitors were rare. And a Grey Warden! She might never have the chance again. "I'd prefer to talk now."

The First Enchanter chuckled. "Impetuousness is the province of youth, I see."

"I will return to my quarters," Duncan stated.

Aellie's heart sank. And she was having such a good day too.

"Would you be so kind as to escort Duncan back to his room, child?" Irving requested.

The new mage wanted to do nothing more than to hug him right there and then. "It would be my pleasure." She nodded good-bye to Irving before gesturing for Duncan to follow her.

Once they were in the hallway, a few steps away from the First Enchanter's office, Duncan said sincerely, "Thank you for walking with me. I am glad for the company."

His respectful tone made it much easier for Aellie to like him. "I wanted to talk to you a little more," She admitted easily.

"Yes? What about?"

_Where to start_, the elf wondered, feeling a horde of question mingle in her mind. "Have there been many darkspawn attacks?" She settled on.

Duncan repeated his warning about the southern horde. That didn't satisfy Aellie's curiosity. But then he mentioned a new word: Archdemon. She quickly asked for a definition. "Darkspawn do attack the surface in ragtag bands, but archdemons are capable of rallying the darkspawn, turning them into an unstoppable force. A horde of darkspawn... a veritable army. It is dire news indeed. I fear that this is what we will have to face."

The new mage knew that she should share the Grey Warden's seriousness, but a part of her felt so excited to simply hear more about the outside world, even the dark parts. "And the king is mustering an army to beat back this threat?"

Duncan nodded. "Yes. Perhaps that will be enough... if we play our cards right."

Now that statement just sent her curiosity into overload. Aellie struggled hard to keep her face clear of any overt emotion beyond calm interest as they walked past the chapel. She doubted he'd tell her if she asked directly about it. She thought back to the earlier argument between the templar commander and the First Enchanter. "Why were Irving and Greagoir arguing about the war?"

"It is not my place to say."

A frown nearly popped on her face, but she pushed it back at the last second. Instead, she gazed at him and in her most respect-filled voice prodded. "Please, I'd like to know."

The dark-skinned man paused before he gave in. "Greagoir serves the Chantry, and the relationship between the Chantry and the mages has always been strained. You've realized by now that the Chantry merely tolerates magic? They watch only because they feel they must."

Surana did not need to be reminded. The way some of the templars stared and watched made it all too clear that they thought magic wasn't a good thing. A view that Aellie found very offensive. She kept the bitterness out of her expression as they walked. "Yes, but they were arguing about the war." She quietly reminded him.

"Any mages who join the king's army can unleash their full power on the darkspawn. In fact, I'm counting on it. Greagoir may be afraid what will happen. What will happen if the mages decide they no longer want to be governed by the Chantry?"

Aellie fought hard against old, dead dreams as they tried to assault their way out of memory. Dreams of walking through green meadows, of not having to look at the same stone wall all her life. The emotional struggle nearly brought a tear to her eye. "What are your opinions on the matter?" She asked after a silent moment.

"I believe we must defeat the darkspawn, one way or another. My opinion ends there," Duncan finished with finality.

Her curiosity extinguished, she said, unable to stop a hint of her bitterness seeping through, "We should continue on our way."

Duncan glanced at her, a look of pity and apology on his face. "Yes, let's." The rest of their walk passed by in silence. It was broken as they arrived in Duncan's room. "Thank you for escorting me here."

"You're welcome, ser," She answered, wondering if that was the proper use for 'ser'. If it wasn't, Duncan didn't comment on it. She walked out, and saw Jowan running toward her, his black hair picking up a little with his speed.

"I'm glad that I caught up to you. Are you done talking to Irving?" He inquired, a little breathless.

The young elf maiden stared at him for a moment as she tried to discern what the matter was. "I think I am, for now."

"I need to talk to you." He looked both ways down the hallway before stepping up to her. He whispered conspiratorially. "Do you remember what we discussed this morning?"

_Is it already the afternoon? Where'd all the time go? Probably to all those stairs_, she mused. "Why are you whispering? It looks very suspicious," She warned him, her voice also dropping to a whisper.

"Shhh! I... I just want to make sure we weren't overheard," He roughly explained, twitching as he looked up and down the hallway again. "We should go somewhere else. I don't feel safe talking here."

"You seem a little on edge," Aellie quipped, trying to absorb some of his anxiety with dry humor.

Jowan didn't notice. "I've been troubled... I'll explain. Come with me, please," He implored before he started walking.

Reluctantly, Surana followed him, her new mage robes still in her arms instead of being worn. She sighed and swore that the first chance she got, she'd put them on. To her incredible surprise, Jowan's 'safe place' was the chapel. The spacious room matched the rest of the Tower's architecture: huge walls with carved, rolling ceiling, intricate stone dividers that reached only a sixth of the way into the room from opposite sides. The dividers created four little sub-rooms. Four thick, stone stands occupied the middle of these sub-rooms, each holding little candles that were lit for prayers. The center of the room was outlined by two series of pillars that didn't reach the ceiling. Four long wooden benches faced toward the outer wall, sitting on a huge green and white carpet. A book stand sat on an inch-high stone platform, holding Threnodics, the Chantry's holy book. And standing behind the book stand was the statue of Andraste herself, looking skyward as though she were speaking with the Maker himself.

Aellie was an infrequent visitor here. It wasn't that she didn't believe in Andraste or the Maker. It's just that religious concerns always seem to be a lower priority than other ones. But that's not what brought her here today. Jowan led her to the far back corner where a woman was waiting for them. She wore the robes of the chantry, an initiate or a priest-in-training. Her red hair and smooth features would ensure that she'd be titled 'attractive'. And, as Jowan stopped next to her, standing awfully close to her, Aellie suspected that Jowan agreed with her. "We should be safe here."

"In the chapel? The templars' favorite haunt?" Surana reminded him as her eyes scanned the room. Besides the three of them, the large room was empty.

"We can see the door from here," The initiate's silky voice explained. "If anyone comes, we'll change the subject."

The elf's attention focused on the other young woman. "I've seen you before..."

"I often attend to my duties in this chapel. Perhaps that is why I seem familiar," She offered.

Jowan stepped into the conversation again. "A few months ago, I told you that I... met a girl. This is Lily," He declared, his voice brimming with happiness.

"Ah, I was beginning to doubt her existence," Aellie said with a wry smile, finally realizing why Jowan was so tight-lipped about his girlfriend. Jowan explained that Lily was not just an initiate. The human female had already taken her vows of chastity, which meant that her relationship with Jowan was forbidden, to say the least. As he finished his explanation, Aellie still smiled at him. "You can trust me. I won't tell anyone."

The couple released mirroring sighs of relief. Both of which were followed by grateful smiles. "Thank you. I knew you'd stand by me," Jowan replied, his good cheer standing strong.

After his earlier foul mood, Aellie wanted to leave him like that, but she knew Jowan better than that. "You can't have brought me here to chat about love."

The elf's predictions turned out true. Jowan's good mood soured as he was reminded about business. "I wish that was the only thing I needed to talk about. Remember I said that I didn't think they wanted to give me my Harrowing? I know why," He revealed morbidly. "They're... going to make me tranquil. They'll take everything that I am from me - my dreams, hopes, fears... my love for Lily. All gone..."

Aellie remembered seeing lifeless Owain and her mind tried to picture Jowan as emotionless. She shuddered. "Why would they do this to you?"

"There's... a rumor about me," Jowan reluctantly admitted. "People think that I am a blood mage. They think that making me a Circle mage will endanger everyone. "

Surana struggled to imagine her best friend performing the forbidden school of magic. _He'd never be that foolish._ "How did you find out about this?"

Lily spoke up. "I saw the document on Greagoir's table. It authorized the Rite on Jowan, and Irving had signed it."

"What are you going to do about it?" Aellie asked, worry infecting her voice.

"I need to escape," Jowan resolutely declared. "I need to destroy my phylactery. Without it, they can't track me down. We need your help. Lily and I can't do this on our own. "

"Give us your word that you will help us and we will tell you what we intend," Lily requested, her eyes hopeful yet her expression worried.

"You have my word, Lily," The mage assured her.

"Thank you. We will never forget this," Lily promised her, another weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Tell me your plan and make it quick," Aellie bid them, not knowing how much time they had.

"I can get us into the repository," Lily began. "But there is a problem. There are two locks on the phylactery chamber door. The First Enchanter and Knight-Commander each hold one key. But it is just a door. There is power enough in this place to destroy all of Ferelden. What's a door to mages?"

Aellie wasn't sure about that. She'd rather get the key from Irving. Then again, the old man could be very perceptive and she had no idea as to how to get Greagoir's key. "What if it's a magical door?"

"We have no choice," Jowan dourly announced. "We cannot get our hands on both keys. I once saw a fire melt through a lock. You could get one from the stockroom. But Owain doesn't release such things to apprentices."

Aellie stared down at her new mage robes. "I will go to the stockroom and retrieve this rod."

The couple shot her another grateful smile. "We should stay here. One mage at the stockroom will attract less attention than a mage, an apprentice, and an initiate."

"I'll be back soon," Surana told them as she started heading there.

"Good luck. Our prayers go with you," Aellie heard Lily say to her before she left the chapel.


	5. Ch 5: The BreakIn

**Ch.5: The Break-In**

Although she knew time wasn't in her favor, Aellie refused to do anything else before she visited her room and put on her new robes and her signet ring. Unlike the apprentice quarters, actual mages were accorded much more. It didn't take her long to find her new room. Located on the same floor as she was now on, Aellie entered one door into a small, short hallway that was divided into four bed areas. Each bed area was marked off by four stone walls, three of which didn't reach to the ceiling. The wall pointing into the mini-hallway only reached halfway across the bed area, leaving a sizable gap to walk through. As she passed by a bookcase covering one of the forward section walls, she got her first glimpse at her new bedroom. A mage was standing outside of it, just waiting for her to arrive so that he could point it out. His mission done, he walked away.

Apprentice mages were discouraged from wandering around on the second floor; most of their lessons took place on the first floor where they lived. As Aellie marveled over her new room, she could tell why it was so. Compared to the bunk bed, and the communal chests the apprentices had to fight over what few personal possessions they had, the mages lived in pure luxury. There was a large bed in the back corner with half a dozen pillows all for her. Next to her was a chest, next to a desk, next to an armoire. And sitting next to the bed was her own vanity! Now she didn't have to make war with the other girls and could sit and look at herself all day long if she wanted, fixing her snow-white hair and admiring her bright, azure eyes.

She took a few steps in and only noticed something that brought a huge smile to her face. Her very own tub and chamber pot. No more long waits as other girls relieved themselves and spent far too long cleaning their own bodies. Most importantly of all, no more boys trying to get a peek of her! If there was one thing she hated about the apprentice quarters, something that started occurring lately, were boys trying to sneak a look at her naked body. While she was not above her own little shows - though she never showed anything more than a quick flash of skin and _never_ anything too intimate - bath time was her time.

The young elf spent another moment enjoying her newfound possessions before she returned to the matter at hand. She strode over to the armoire (also called a wardrobe by some mages) opened both doors and stepped in between them, offering her a large degree of privacy. She quickly undid her apprentice robes, lazily throwing them into the bottom of the armoire. Treating her new mage robes with the opposite amount of care, she slid them over herself, finishing with the signet ring placed on her right ring finger.

She closed the wardrobe before sauntering up to the vanity, watching her mirror image do the same. Her eyes paid close attention as to how the new gold robes gleamed over her torso and how the blue bottom half of it swished with each step. Her vanity momentarily appeased, she grabbed her new staff, which resembled a large branch, and returned to her mission.

Owain, the Tranquil stockroom's manager, was not hard to find. Since the store was in the middle of the second floor, all Aellie had to do was find the nearest opening and walk toward the center. Walking up to the Tranquil was a much more intimidating action than most would expect. Owain was not aggressive, of course. He merely went about his duties with a mechanical precision, his face neither frowning or smiling as he worked. Aellie had to take a deep breath to still her nerves as she watched him.

Once her courage was suitably higher, she marched up to Owain. The Tranquil paused and stopped to watch her approach, his eyes blinking only when absolutely necessary. Surana had to fight the urge to flee again. "Welcome to the Circle's stockroom of magical items. My name is Owain. How may I assist you?" He tonelessly greeted.

After repressing another shudder, Aellie requested, "I need a rod of fire."

"Rods of fire serve many purposes. Why do you wish to acquire this particular item?"

Aellie thought she sensed suspicion in the question. Does suspicion count as an emotion? She coughed before speaking clearly, "Why do you need to know?"

"It is procedure."

_Damn, and I can't convince him otherwise._ Aellie did her best to not frown. "What can the rods be used for?" She asked 'innocently'.

"Have you lost the key to a lock?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," she admitted.

The Tranquil reached over to a small desk and procured a parchment, handing it to her. It was a form for requesting a rod of fire. Aellie thought she was making progress…until Owain said it had to be signed by a senior enchanter. "I will be back shortly." She promised. She forced herself to walk away as opposed to sprinting and began a hunt for a senior enchanter she could persuade to sign the blasted form.

She thought she spotted an opportunity when she saw a senior enchanter standing in front of the storage room, a much larger storage space than Owain's stock room. The senior enchanter was much like herself, an elven woman, which made it all the more easy to walk up to her. "Yes?" The senior enchanter greeted pleasantly.

"Good day, who are you?" Aellie returned, a note of excitement in her voice as she portrayed herself as the young newly-minted mage, eager to make introductions.

The fellow elf woman responded well to the treatment. "Senior enchanter Leorah, in charge of the Circle's laboratory." She declared proudly. "Is there something you want?"

"What's that door over there?" Aellie asked with her voice filled with curiosity. Leorah quickly explained that was the store room as they both knew, no sign of suspicion emanating from the senior enchanter.

Switching to her innocent voice, Aellie questioned, "Can I look inside the cavern?" Perhaps she could find another rod of fire instead.

"No. I can't let anyone in there just now," The senior enchanter blurted back. Aellie detected an undertone of nervousness and pressed onward. Her efforts were rewarded when Leorah let out a resigned sigh. "Look, I'll tell you the truth, just keep it to yourself. There is an infestation of spiders in the caves. I don't know how they got in there but it's probably my fault. I was promoted to senior enchanter less than a fortnight ago and I don't want anyone to find out. They'll think I'm incompetent!" She declared worriedly.

Surana immediately leapt at the possibility. "If you sign this form, I'll deal with the spiders."

"Hmm?" The senior enchanter accepted the unsigned document, peering over it for a moment, making a vague comment. She nodded. "Well, your proposal sounds fair. Clear out the store-rooms and I will sign your form."

"All right. I'll do it." The younger elf looked forward to testing out her new staff on the new opponents.

With a large amount of relief and delight in her voice, Leorah said, "Wonderful! Here is the key. Oh, and be careful in there. I'd really like to keep the damage done to the Circle's property to a minimum."

"Of course, I will use the utmost discretion," Aellie promised before she journeyed into the store room.

Even the caves that the store-room was built into were as huge and spacious as the rest of the tower. Aellie paused to shoot the high ceiling an annoyed look before returning to her new task. Although she promised not to damage anything, that didn't include procuring a few items for herself. Taking a peek in a nearby chest, she found a charm that caught her eye. The Charm of Still Waters, she thought it was called. After placing it over her neck, she wandered deeper into the store room.

The spider infestation was a little worse than how the senior enchanter described it. Yes, there was an infestation. But of giant spiders. Despite the size difference, it was still of no major consequence to her. Their appearance didn't frighten her like they did other girls, and they still burned just as well as normal spiders. Every time one threatened her, a spout of flame gushing forth from her staff sent them scurrying off before they expired. It had the bonus effect of burning away the large amount of webbing covering the place.

Only once did she feel threatened. As she rounded the third corner, two of the giant spiders attacked at the same time. A magical bolt sent the first one to its demise, but then the second one reared up on its legs and began spewing its webbing over her! Her staff was nearly knocked away from her hand and her movement was quickly failing. Only with a shout did she fire another blast of fire that ended the second one. Using more fire, but with extreme precision and control, she burned herself out of the webbing, a process that took no small amount of time. To make up for her struggles, she helped herself to another magical ring, and a new belt.

The senior enchanter looked at her hopefully as she stepped out of the store-room. "You're back! Are the spiders gone?"

"I've dealt with your infestation," Aellie explained, a bit of smugness creeping in.

The older woman didn't notice it, along with some of Aellie's new equipment. "Oh, wonderful! You're a life-saver. Now where was that form you wanted me to sign?"

"Here it is," The mage said as she pulled out the form and laid it on the table for Leorah.

"Right…" Grabbing a nearby quill, Leorah signed it post-haste. "There you go. How's that?"

"Excellent! Thank you," Aellie replied with a happy smile, granting the senior enchanter a nod.

"It was a pleasure. You'll go far in the Circle, I bet," Leorah predicted warmly.

Aellie glowed from the praise before heading straight back to the stockroom and Owain. Some of her happiness wore off as she caught sight of the Tranquil and remembered that she was essentially trying to break her friend out of the tower. _So long as I'm not discovered and Jowan escapes, all will go well for us._ Marching up to Owain, she produced the signed form.

Owain pored over it for a moment. "Everything looks to be in order. Here is the rod you requested."

And just like that, she had the rod in her hands. She did her best not to run back to the chapel. Even from the door, she could see Jowan nearly sweating as he stood next to Lily. "I hate waiting. It makes me nervous," He explained to Lily before he caught sight of Aellie.

"I have the rod of fire," The bleached-haired elf announced.

"That was quick!" Jowan said excitedly.

"To the repository, then. Freedom awaits," Lily added before the three of them headed out. To allay any suspicions, Lily walked out first before Jowan and Aellie followed a few minutes later. Since they were already established friends, no one questioned the pair. The walk down to the first floor took longer than it ever had for the mages as they headed toward the next stage of the escape plan.

They entered the door leading to the basement. A short hallway turned sharply to the left where they came face-to-face with Lily and the first door barring their success.

"The Chantry calls this entrance 'the Victims' Door.' It is built of two hundred and seventy-seven planks, one for each original templar. It is a reminder of all the dangers those cursed with magic pose," Lily explained as they walked up to her.

Aellie pushed past the explanation as she stared at the door. "But how do we get past it?"

"The doors can be opened only by a templar and a mage, entering together. The Chantry provides the password, which primes the ward, and the mage touches it with mana, to release it," Lily continued.

The mage took a moment to admire the door with this new revelation before she got back to business. "So what must I do?"

"First, the password…" The redhead stepped toward the door before chanting, "Sword of the Maker, Tears of the Fade."

A loud click told them of her success. Lily turned to Aellie. "Now cast a spell on it, any will do."

The golden-robed elf strode forward, placing her hand directly on the door. With only a small amount of effort, the magic poured from her hand, unlocking the door. The party walked forward, only one more door standing between them and the repository.

"Melt the locks off!" Jowan implored as they stopped in front of it.

Aellie nodded before she pulled out the rod, which resembled a dead, white stick. She aimed it at the door…only for a magical bubble to emit from the door as she used it. No fire in sight spelled failure for them.

"What's the matter? Why isn't it working?" Lily wondered, confusion and fear seeping into her tone. Aellie frowned before she tried again. Again, her efforts were for naught.

Jowan, while trying to keep his fears under control, pointed his staff at the door. For a third time, nothing happened. He despaired, "Lily…something's not right. I… can't cast spells here. Nothing works."

Lily immediately locked her gaze onto the carvings surrounding the door. "These wards carved into the stone… this must be the templars' work. They negate any magic cast within this area."

Aellie took a step away from the door, feeling completely exposed as she tried to conjure up a small flame on the tip of her finger. Not even a spark flashed to life. She grimaced at her unadorned hand. Never had she felt so, so…powerless.

"I should have guessed!" Lily declared, her anxiety growing. "Why would Greagoir and Irving use simple keys for such a door? Because magical keys don't work! How do you keep mages away from something? Make their powers completely worthless! That's it then! We're finished! We can't get in."

The elven maiden looked at Jowan and briefly saw Owain's features imposed on his, the lifeless eyes peering back. She bit her lip as she tried to come up with a solution. Then she spotted the third door down at the end of the next branch of the hallway off to the right. "That door there, where does it lead?"

"I don't know," Lily admitted, a dash of hope shining through. "Do you think it's another way in?"

"That door probably leads to another part of the repository," Jowan surmised, jumping for the small strand of hope. "What are the chances of there being another entrance?"

"It's worth a try," Aellie persisted.

"We can see where this door leads, but I don't think it'll be easy… it looks locked, for one," Lilly pointed out.

"The rod will work on **those** locks, shouldn't it?" Aellie countered, already walking towards it.

"Yes. Let's hope they haven't warded that door as well."

"Let's hurry," Jowan implored. "We've wasted enough time."

The trio ran to the next door, Aellie pointed out the rod as they neared it. She stabbed the rod toward the door's lock, the fire flowing out this time and melting it off. Before they could enjoy their success, a suit of armor that stood on guard near the door shambled to life. Armed with a mace, it was an unwelcome surprise as Jowan and Aellie both fired magical bolts at it. The sentinel recoiled as it was struck before crumbled back down onto the ground.

The three of them stared at the armor before resuming their expedition, watching for any more traps, with Lily grabbing one of the maces for herself. It didn't take long before more of the sentinels attacked. Two more charged them as they rounded another corner, swords held high as they defended the passage way. One bolt for each of them was not enough to stop them before they sliced at the party. Lily deftly dodged her attacker, yanking out a dagger concealed in her chantry robes. With a quick cut, the armor fell to the counter attack. But Jowan couldn't stop his attacker's blade from cutting into his arm. A second volley of magic ended the remaining defender.

With safety temporarily guaranteed, Aellie rushed to Jowan's side. She held her staff aloft as she muttered an incantation, Jowan's new wound quickly healing and closing. "Thanks," He murmured before he wiped off some of the blood. Using the same amount of caution and wariness, they proceeded.

Another pair of guardians tried to ambush them as the hallways went through a small room. But Lily jumped in front of the mages, shifting in between their attacks. They were distracted and proved easy prey to Jowan's and Aellie's ranged spells. One slipped by Lily and headed straight toward Aellie. The elf mage stepped back as she pronounced a quick incantation. A ghostly, purple bubble formed around her and the sentinel's would-be blow slid off of it, leaving it wide open to a finishing blow.

Jowan gave Aellie a quick look-over. "An arcane shield."

She smiled, "I'm getting more powerful by the day. Come on, let's keep going."


	6. Ch 6: The Escape

**Ch. 6: The Escape**

Just as Aellie felt comfortable, well, used to, the moving suits of armor, a new surprise awaited her and the others at the next encounter. Like before, as they rounded the next turn in the basement's pathway, two more suits of armor lunged at them. That wasn't the surprise, as Aellie readied her staff, a bolt of pure magic flew… at her. The elf jumped back in surprise as the bolt smashed into her magic shield, protecting her from harm. Behind the sentinels was a glowing figure, man-shaped, but bereft of any other distinctive features. It wielded a glowing staff and had been the one to attack Aellie.

"What is that?" Jowan gasped out, stunned by the new opponent. Hearing Lily struggle with the suits of armor was enough to draw his attention back to the fight, firing at one of Lily's attackers. Aellie focused her attention on the ethereal mage and launched a bolt at it. The figure recoiled from the hit, but she could sense that it wasn't doing much good. The purple sphere that surrounded her barely deflected its counter-attack, the bolt piercing it but only glancing off her hip. She gritted her teeth as she turned to the last suit of armor and attacking it since its magical resistance was much weaker. Jowan's volley, mixed with hers was enough to overcome it. But Lily suffered for it.

Since its first opponent was ignoring it, the mage sentinel changed its focus on Lily. The initiate only had a moment after the suit of armor crumbled before she was struck in the stomach. "Lily!" Jowan yelled as he panicked and pulled her into his arms, placing himself between her and it. Aellie rushed forward and decided to see how it liked fire.

It twisted and fell back a step underneath the blaze of flames. But it lifted its staff into the air, and the soft glow of healing magic enveloped it. "That's my trick," Aellie muttered as she blasted it again, trying to overwhelm it. Even when Jowan added his magic to the onslaught did they seem to be making progress. It was only when Lily threw herself forward and smashed it with her mace did the spiritual mage finally fade from existence.

Lily uttered a small groan as she feel to her knees, her weapons clanging loudly as she dropped them. She clutched her stomach with Jowan throwing his arms over here to comfort her.

"Lay back," Aellie commanded as she steadied her breathing. The magical duel was tiring but she still had to do one more task before resting. As gently as he could, Jowan helped Lily lay down. With a bit more coaxing, she pulled her arms away from her injury, a nasty splotch of black clothing and skin where the spell struck her. Calling on the lessons Wynne gave her, Aellie held her staff above the red-head's torso. Waves of blue magic flew over the blackened spot before it healed to its normal color.

"Thank you," Lily whispered as the pain faded away.

Aellie nodded as she took a seat, letting her power ease back into her.

"I hope we don't run into too many more of those," Jowan said while he laid his hand over Lily's. Aellie nodded again. It took another few minutes but they stood and resumed their quest. The door the magic sentinel guarded was unlocked. Behind it waited a different surprise.

As soon as the door finished swinging open, a large, bipedal lizard hissed at the entrants. Although it was the half size of Aellie (which only spoke of how small it really was), it was quickly joined by other hisses, indicating an entire packed awaited them. The creature scurried toward the party, clawed forearms extended and ready to tear through skin while its mouth dropped open revealing curved fangs. Aellie lit the creature on fire, leaving it to write in agony as its pack mates poured into sight. A single blow from either magical bolt or mace was enough to end one creature, but there numbers almost outdid them when one jumped onto Jowan with enough power to throw him onto his back. He barely held it off by flailing his arms at it long enough for Lily to stab it with her dagger.

"What are deepstalkers doing here?" Lily breathed as she cleaned her dagger off one of the little bodies.

"Must've found a hole to crawl through," Aellie guessed with a frown, glaring at the couple blood drops staining her blue half of the robe. She quickly saw the next door of to their left, but to their right was a square room used for storage.

"Alright, through the next door," Jowan said as he tried to lead the way.

"One moment, Jowan," Aellie called as she pulled a quick sweep of the room.

"We don't have time for this," Jowan replied, vexed by the delay.

"If there's anything in here that'll help us survive, we should keep an eye out for it," Aellie countered, finding an enchanter's cowl in a wardrobe. The headpiece could add to a mage's resistance against spells. As soon as it was on, they continued on, passing by a fallen statue and bookcase. Another ambush of sentinels, both of armor and robe varieties, attacked. Switching tactics, the three living people focused on the armors first. Aellie tried to make herself an enticing target for it, but it was unnecessary. As the sentinels accrued damage, the mage sentinel raised its staff, repairing the armor in a quick burst of magic. But they dealt damage faster than it could heal. With its front line gone, it was easy prey for Lily's weapons.

The first door, which was right across from their entrance, contained another square storage room. Not useful for advancing their cause directly, but Aellie found a few items that would help Lily and Jowan do better in the next fight, mostly charms and buckles. They returned to the ambush hallway and headed all the way down to the remaining door.

The room had to have served as a dungeon at one point. Three caged cells stood against the walls. And three armored sentinels barred their progress. Lily put up a feinting retreat as they pressed forward. The initiate, who was demonstrating far greater aptitude than Aellie expected, couldn't dodge them all and was graced with two shallow cuts, one on her arm, the other her leg. Jowan tried to pull her back to safety but was stabbed through the shoulder for his efforts. Aellie's transparent shield protected her from harm and gave her opportunities to let loose quick healing spells. Not enough to completely remove the cuts, but enough to stop the bleeding and block out most of the pain.

Even with the single-minded determination of the attack, the living beings held them off and vanquished their foes. The party stopped to recuperate. "This is taking far too long," Jowan moaned. "And we're causing such a racket."

"Have faith, Jowan," Lily said tenderly, gripping his hand. "We're so far away from the entrance, that no one would have heard us. We only need to press for a little bit longer. We should be close."

"Don't worry," Aellie said confidently, trying to instill some of it into him.

The next door at the end of the old dungeon opened into another sentinel assault, reverting to the two armored and one robed ensemble. The beauty about magical fire was that it could light things on fire that shouldn't be able to burn. As the first two charged forward, Aellie shot fire at them that burned off both of them. The robed sentinel tried to repair the damage, but on fire they were easier opponents, even if Lily had to take extra care this time. A fourth sentinel rounded the corner, but just as its allies fell in battle. Three-on-one proved to be a very one-sided match.

Just as her frustration was beginning to build, Aellie paused as they passed through the latest door. Like past rooms, it was a square storeroom. But unlike the others, this one held strange relics and things she never seen before. Although they were still mindful of their limited time, the three of them spent a little time peering over the selections, a three-headed stone dog stood on a table, a see-through globe the size of Aellie stood next to the door, and a staff that was stronger than her own. But one relic proved to be much more exotic than the rest.

In the opposite corner from the door was the most realistic statue of a person Aellie had seen. It was a statue of a beautiful, robed woman who stared forward with an expression of quiet meditation. Jowan stared at it for a moment. "There's something odd about that statue…"

"I wonder who this statue is," Aellie murmured.

"Greetings," the statue replied, her voice strong, but otherworldly, the tone calm.

Jowan nearly jumped back, yelping, "Maker's breath! Did it just say something?"

"I am the essence and spirit of Eleni Zinovia, once consort and advisor to Archon Valerius. Prophecy my crime, cursed to stone for foretelling the fall of my lord's house," Eleni explained as though it were perfectly normal for statues to talk.

Curiosity swelled up within Aellie even as Lily took a step back, eyeing the statue warily. "Archon Valerius?"

"I'm not sure," Jowan muttered, on guard. "The archons were the lords of the Imperium."

"'Forever shall you stand on the threshold of my proud fortress,' he said, 'and tell your lies to all who pass…But my lord found death at the hands of his enemies and his once- proud fortress crumbled to dust, as I foretold," Eleni continued as though she couldn't hear them.

"A Tevinter statue!" Lily repeated, very alarm. "Don't listen to it! The Tevinter lords dabbled in many forbidden arts! This is a wicked thing!"

Despite the warning, Aellie only a desire to learn more from it. "How did they do this? Is she still alive?" She asked, suddenly realizing the possible ramifications of being turned into a statue.

"Weep not for me, child," Eleni soothed, though her tone did not change. "Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And I shall endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again."

All three of them froze as the prophecy was announced, almost off-handedly. "What does that mean?" Aellie wondered as she stared at it.

"Ambiguous rubbish," Jowan declared snidely. "It could mean anything. I can do it too: The sun grows dark, but lo! Here comes the dawn!"

"Stop talking to it," Lily bid fearfully, taking another step away from it.

Reluctance marked Aellie's every move as she stepped away from it. "Yes, we have much to do," She agreed ruefully.

"Come on, Jowan. Let's go," Lily said as she pulled at her lover's arm.

Jowan did as she asked and they continued their search, Jowan drifting toward an old, crumbling part of the wall. A statue of a dog sat in front of it, staring at a bookcase which stood before the weakened stone. "What do you think this does?" he asked no one in particular, curiosity flowing through his voice.

"Why does the Circle keep so many Tevinter artifacts in storage?" Lily replied uneasily.

"It's history, Lily…and it's fascinating," Jowan answered with a smile.

"I can't imagine what this does, though," Aellie admitted as she stared at the dog.

"I've seen pictures of things like this. They amplify any spell cast into them. I bet we could use this to break in the phylactery chamber," Jowan informed them.

"I suppose we could amplify the rod's power," Aellie suggested brightly. Jowan agreed. Aellie and he moved the bookcase out of the way first. He with Lily stepped back as Aellie pulled out the rod of fire. She laid it on the top of the statue, maintaining her grip. With a spark of her will, it activated. The earlier stream was now like an explosion of heat, aimed at the exposed wall. The rotting stone collapsed before it.

"The phylactery chamber!" Jowan happily declared as he peered in through the new door. It must have been a door at some point because there was a set of stairs leading into the chamber from their room. As they reached the bottom step, Lily looked around, almost desperately. "We must find Jowan's phylactery quickly."

"Where would it be?" Aellie inquired.

"With the other apprentice phylacteries, I imagine," Lily answered, not so helpful.

"Let's look around then."

"It shouldn't be hard to find. There aren't many phylacteries here," Jowan encouraged. No sooner had he said that, three sentinels came to life. Although they were all armored, one of them stood a head taller than the other two. He wore a helmet with a red plume and didn't look friendly at all. "Big one first?" Jowan nervously suggested.

"Big one first," Aellie agreed, shooting a gust of flames into the new pack of guardians. They all burned, but they continued marching toward them. Another magical bolt from Jowan wasn't enough to down the tall one who swung at Lily. With so much fire, the beautiful initiate was glad for the basement's chill as she dodged the sword held by the fiery gauntlet. Unable to get close with the dagger, Lily used it to distract them as she struck at it with her longer mace. Two more magical bolts sealed its fate, sending it toppling to the stone floor.

But there was a price for it. Recognizing who burned them, the smaller two sentinels focused on Aellie, whose magical shield couldn't deflect all of the blade strokes. Her hand received one cut and a metal gauntlet punched her in the ribs, her natural magical talent keeping the fire at bay. With the master gone, her allies whirled onto the minions, dispatching them easily.

"Are you alright?" Jowan asked as he stepped up to her, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder. She nodded as she gripped her staff, healing magic washing over her body. They proceeded up the stairs on the opposite side of the room. All around them on the higher half of the room were bottles of blood with names written on them. Thankfully, they quickly found the one they were looking for.

The tattooed elf grinned as she pulled it out and turned to Jowan. "That's my phylactery! You found it! I can't believe this tiny vial stands between me and freedom," The blue-eyed mage commented as he gladly received it from Aellie. He held it in front of him. "So small, so easy to be rid of…" He simply let go and it crashed onto the floor, splashing blood over the stone and the red carpet in the center of the walkway. "And now I'm free."

As much as Aellie wanted to congratulate her best friend, she couldn't stop the pang of jealousy from hitting her from within. If only hers hadn't already been sent away. "The sooner we're out of here, the better," She said, perhaps a little too stonily.

"I do not want to stay here a moment longer," Lily agreed, not noticing Aellie's barely concealed displeasure. With Jowan eagerly following them, the women led the way out the door they couldn't open earlier, unintentionally disrupting the ward. Lily stayed close to Aellie, trying to hide the damage to her robes as they re-entered the first floor.

That was where everything went wrong. They were supposed to come to an empty room. Instead, Greagoir, Irving, and two other templars were waiting for them. "So what you said was true, Irving," Greagoir muttered darkly as he stared at the three of them.

Lily cowered behind Aellie, and Aellie wished she could do the same with Jowan. Never before had she been so terrified at being caught. This was no simple prank but a serious crime. No doubt the knight-commander would be harsh in his judgment. "This looks bad," Aellie squeaked.

"G-Greagoir," Lily murmured, terrified.

"An initiate, conspiring with a blood mage. I'm disappointed, Lily," The elder templar's voice rang out. Lily flinched as though she was struck. "She seems shocked, but fully in control of her own mind. Not a thrall of the blood mage, then," He analyzed, stepping up to them to judge her. With his analysis complete, he slid back toward the other group. "You were right, Irving. The initiate has betrayed us. The Chantry will not let this go unpunished. And this one," Greagoir continued as he turned his sight on Aellie. "Newly a mage and already flouting the rules of the Circle."

"I'm disappointed in you. You could have told me what you knew of this plan, and you didn't," Irving solemnly declared. That stung far more than Greagoir's words could have as Aellie bit her lip.

"You don't care for the mages! You just bow to the Chantry's every whim!" Jowan snapped back, taking a protective stance in front of Lily and Aellie.

"Jowan, please don't make it worse," Aellie quietly implored.

"Enough!" Greagoir shouted. "As knight-commander of the templars here assembled, I sentence this blood mage to death. And this initiate has scorned the Chantry and her vows. Take her to Aeonar," He pronounced with an angry glare. One of the helmeted templars moved forward as ordered.

"The…the mages' prison," Lily whispered, completely horrified, her body shaking with fear as she took an unsteady step back. "No…please, no. Not there," She begged, looking like she was about to break.

Jowan held out an arm in front of her, as if to ward them off. "No! I won't let you touch her!" He pulled out a knife from within his robes. Before Aellie or anyone could stop him, he stabbed himself in the palm of his other hand. Blood spurted out as he pulled the blade back out.

"Jowan!" Aellie cried before he motioned with his arms, the blood taking a life of its own. With a tide of magic pouring from him, he swept his arms forward, the tide slamming into Greagoir and the others. The templars and First Enchanter crumbled beneath the attack. Aellie only dimly noted the power that her friend now wielded. Only one thought was echoing in her mind, tinged with intense anger, sadness, and betrayal. _Jowan __**is**__ a blood mage._

Lily looked just as betrayed as she felt. "By the Maker…blood magic. H-how could you? You said you never…"

Whatever elation Jowan might have felt for defeating his captors quickly evaporated beneath Lily's terrorized face. "I admit I…I dabbled. I thought it could make me a better mage."

"Blood magic is evil, Jowan," Lily reminded him, her voice cracking as a tear slid down her cheek. "It corrupts people…changes them…" She edged away from him.

"I'm going to give it up. All magic. I just want to be with you, Lily. Please, come with me," Jowan pleaded desperately, holding out his arms toward her, blood still dripping from his left hand.

"I trusted you," She moaned. "I was ready to sacrifice everything for you…I…I don't know who you are, blood mage. Stay away from me." The tears now feel freely as she took another step back.

Jowan was devastated. Despair like he'd never known before, far worse than what he felt when he was told that he was to be Tranquil, agonized him. He had lost everything and now he did the only thing he thought to do. He ran.


	7. Ch 7: Freedom

**Ch. 7: Freedom**

There were dozens of apprentices in the tower, plenty of people her age who she interacted on a daily basis. But she only had one friend. And now Aellie watched as he fled the tower. Her only friend left her after lying to her. For a moment, Aellie felt as though she was going to turn into a rage demon. She felt the air around her hands heat up, the mana pooling at her fingers.

A groan from the fallen elders reminded her what could happen if she lost control now. The white-haired elf took a deep breath, shoving the anger down as she walked over to Irving's side. The First Enchanter woozily pushed the top of himself off the floor. His first words, as he caught sight of Aellie, were, "Are you alright? Where's Greagoir?"

"I knew it," The veteran templar growled as he collected himself off the ground. "Blood magic. But to overcome so many…I never thought of him capable of such power.

"He lied to me," Aellie muttered furiously to herself.

Irving looked up at her with a look of pity. "None of us expected this. Are you alright, Greagoir?"

"As good as can be expected given the circumstances!" Greagoir barked out, drawing up to his full height. If you had let me act sooner, none of this would have happened! Now we have a blood mage on the loose and no way to track him down!"

After helping Irving to his feet, Aellie replied scornfully, "He couldn't have gone far. You could still capture him."

"Believe me, we will use every resource. Where is the girl?" The grey-haired warrior demanded.

"I…I am here, ser," Lily meekly announced as she walked toward the group.

"You helped a blood mage!" Greagoir angrily accused her, waving a hand over the party. "Look at all he's hurt!"

Although her own anger was seething within her still, Aellie could still feel a degree of sympathy for the initiate. "Lily didn't know Jowan was a blood mage," She announced to Greagoir.

"You've been a friend, but you needn't defend me any longer," Lily said quietly, flashing Surana a soft smile that disappeared as she addressed Greagoir. "Knight-Commander…I…I was wrong. I was an accomplice to a…a blood mage. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit. Even…even Aeonar," She told him, keeping most of her despair and misery out of her voice.

Greagoir averted his eyes away from her, his anger yet satisfied. "Get her out of my sight!" One of the templars stepped forward and took her by the arm. The templar leader turned toward Aellie. "And you. You know why the repository exists. Some artifacts—some magics—are locked away for a reason!"

"Did you take anything important from the repository?" Irving asked of her.

Aellie was glad that she had kept her old staff. She immediately grabbed the more powerful one she took and held it out for Irving. "Yes, this staff, it is yours."

Irving accepted it with a soft 'thank you'. Even Greagoir granted her an approving nod. "Hmph. Some honesty, at last. But your antics have made a mockery of this Circle. Ah…what are we to do with you?"

"I had no idea that Jowan was a blood mage," Aellie replied stonily.

"And you think that excuses you?" Greagoir rhetorically answered with a stern expression. "You helped a blood mage escape. All our prevention measures for naught – because of you."

Aellie scowled at him, already seeing her situation deteriorate even further. She mentally cursed Jowan and regretted ever calling him a friend.

"Knight-commander, if I may…" All three heads turned to watch the dark-skinned and dark-haired Grey Warden stride up to them. "I am not only looking for mages for the king's army. I am also recruiting for the Grey Wardens. Irving spoke highly of this mage, and I would like for her to join the Warden ranks."

Aellie could scarcely believe her ears, so shocked to hear of a chance to escape this wretched tower that she lost all composure and let her jaw hang open like a fool, not even hearing what Irving said next.

"Duncan, this mage assisted a maleficar, and shown a lack of regard for the Circle's rules," Irving protested.

"She is a danger," Greagoir added. "To all of us."

"It is a rare person to risk all for a friend in need," Duncan countered. "I stand by my decision. I will recruit this mage."

Greagoir was furious. "No! I refuse to let this go unpunished!"

The young elf had gathered her wits by now. "If the Grey Wardens will have me, I will gladly go."

"Greagoir, mages are needed. This mage is needed," Duncan calmly explained. "Worse things plague this world than blood mages – you know that. I take this young mage under my wing and bear all responsibility for her actions."

"A blood mage escapes, and his accomplice not only goes unpunished, but is rewarded by becoming a Grey Warden," Greagoir seethed, clenching his gloved fists. "Are our rules nothing? Have we lost all of our authority over our mages? This does not bode well, Irving."

"Enough. We have no more say in this matter," Irving replied, ending the rant.

"So I am to be a Grey Warden?" Aellie asked, a confusing war waged within her amongst rage, grief, and joy.

"Yes," Irving answered her, a small, sad smile on his face. "Be proud, child. You are luckier than you know."

The newly-made mage addressed Irving with a solemn face and a tight smile. "Thank you for everything, First Enchanter," She said, completely sincere.

"Come, your new life awaits. We leave as soon as you've gathered your possessions," Duncan warned her.

Aellie was on the cusp of telling him that she was ready to leave now when she remembered it. A mage apprentice has few personal possessions. A staff is only given to full mages. Only a few sets of robes were issued. Everything else is provided for. Actual mages are expected to begin accruing books in particular, but anything else was up to personal taste. Which wasn't easy since they weren't given regular pay. But she did have one thing. "I will return quickly, ser Duncan."

Nodding to Irving, she raced back up to her new…her now-old bedroom on the second floor. The elf who showed her the room said that he would bring her stuff up there as well. Which meant only one item of worth: a scarf. It wasn't just any scarf, it was a meticulously made, aqua wool scarf. It was her only memento from her first home, where she was born: Denerim.

As she delicately pulled the scarf out of the wardrobe, she ran a hand over it. Sometimes, she could imagine her child-self looking up at her parents, her father and his brown locks, her mother looking down at her with Aellie's eyes, her mother's eyes. The short elf sighed before folding it carefully and placing it beneath her robes. She'd given up on seeing her family long ago. Becoming a Grey Warden didn't change that. Still, she would rather hold onto it then let someone else take it for themselves.

Her mission complete, she headed back down the tower, ignoring everyone else. Duncan was waiting by the entrance with Irving. Two templars stood on either side of the door, forever guarding the main exit. "Are you ready?" Duncan asked, making it clear that this was the last time before they left the Circle.

"Yes."

"Then this is good-bye, child," Irving murmured, staring at her with a neutral expression. But after all of the years she spent with him, she could see the concern in his eyes.

She felt an urge to hug him, but she suppressed it. So much had just happened, and all she wanted was to get out of the Tower. "Good-bye, First Enchanter."

"Maker watch over you," He said before he nodded to them both and walked back into the Tower.

Duncan turned around and the two templars opened the large, wooden doors that had stood between Aellie and freedom. Light, so bright that Aellie shielded herself as her eyes adjusted, poured in. It took another moment but she finally was able to look and stare at the outside world.

The Circle was located on a small island in the middle of a gargantuan lake. Lake Calenhad. Today stood in stark contrast to her conflicting emotions. The sun was making its downward journey, lengthening the shadows, but still keeping the day alive and strong. The lake glittered and shined as the light reflected off of it, hiding whatever swam beneath the surface of the blue, fresh waters.

Aellie cursed Jowan yet again. She had imagined this day for years. And now, now she couldn't enjoy the beautiful view that nature had given to her. The rage wouldn't let her. Even now it twisted and snaked within her, pushing her thoughts to only think of revenge against Jowan. She fought against it as Duncan led her down to the small dock. The older man took his time, obviously giving her time to adjust to the change. She wanted to thank him for that, but she was too busy trying to shake off her wrath, if only for a moment.

The templar manning the boat stared at her for a moment before Duncan nodded. The templar let them pass, though he never took his eyes off of her. Duncan escorted her into the rowboat. Once the boatman received his pay, he started rowing them to the far shore. Aellie felt the urge to turn around and watch the tower shrink, but she suppressed that desire as well. It would only remind her again of Jowan. Instead she watched the water flow by, trying to catch glimpses of fish and whatever else lived in the lake. Duncan was silent, content to not pry into her thoughts, for which she was grateful.

There was another templar on the other side, standing at the docks, near a small inn. Duncan gave him a nod as well, and that was all it took before Aellie stepped onto the wooden planks. She was now standing outside of the tower. She was now standing in Ferelden. A small glimmer of excitement slid beneath the anger and she was able to enjoy this one moment to herself.

Duncan took the lead again, giving her a good view of the two swords on his back as he led her toward the inn. They scarecly stepped inside when Aellie was introduced to something new: loud, very loud music. A group of warriors, of all stripes and colors were in the middle of a drinking game with one robed man standing off to the side, watching the scene amused. Apparently the drinking contest was pretty recent, for no one was yet passed out on the ground. In addition to the drinking, half the group was singing boisterously. Whether that was part of the challenge, Aellie wasn't sure.

One of the Wardens spotted Duncan and shouted, "And here's our fearless leader returned to us! What happened Duncan? Thought you'd be spending the night at the Circle." The warden quickly locked onto Aellie. "I take it things went well?"

The rest of the Wardens cheered for Duncan's return but quickly returned to their drinks. Only the robed member of the group continued watching Duncan and Aellie. "Yes, Alistair, it went well. Aellerain Surana will be joining us."

Alistair smiled at Aellie. "Welcome to the Grey Wardens!"

Aellie, after resisting a twitch at the mention of her full name, tried for a quick smile, but all she could manage was something that wasn't a frown and nodded to the light-haired warden.

"Daylen, if you would?" Duncan called out to the robed warden. The man nodded and walked over to them. "Daylen, this is Aellerain. She's only recently passed her Harrowing and is incredibly skilled from what I've been told. She'll be under my wing for the most part, but I want you to help her adjust as well."

"Of course, Duncan." Daylen turned his grey eyes on her. "Well met, Aellerain. I'm Daylen. Daylen Amell.

...to be continued in The Thief


End file.
